Knitted textile lingerie article, particularly a bra, with areas of different elasticity

ABSTRACT

A process for knitting textile articles on a flat knitting machine from a strip in which areas with different stitch sizes are knitted. Areas (a, b, c, α) are knitted with different stitch Second areas (A, B) having inserterd elastic threads are distinct from and interserct the areas (a, b, c, α). Seamless bras can be developed providing excellent reinforcement and excellent comfort, without underwires.

This invention relates to a knitted textile underwear article, particularly a bra, bandeau, boxer brief, brief, French knickers or girdle, designed to have regions with different elasticity due to the knitting.

Documents FR 2 751 668, FR 2 783 532 and FR 2 819 827 deposited by the Applicant describe how to knit textile underwear articles on a circular loom, making areas with different restraints in articles, by varying the knitting of the stitches in these areas. This method makes it possible to obtain areas with different elasticity applying a different restraining force, and the articles obtained by these processes may particularly include tights, French knickers and bra tops, in which there is no need for high precision in the technical force applied by the restraint.

There are other articles such as bras, for which it is important for them to perform precise functions for holding, containing, supporting, modelling, sculpting and lifting the breasts.

In order to perform these multiple functions, bras are usually obtained by making, by assembly of textile parts with a variety of nature and properties. It is sometimes necessary to add stiffener parts such as underwires, inserts, glued layers, etc. The assembly phase of the various parts is expensive, and seams are sometimes considered to be inaesthetic and uncomfortable. Therefore, there is a strong motivation for developing seamless bras.

For example, US documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,981,319, 4,432,364, 5,855,124 and 5,154,659 describe how to make bras in which the cups are hot moulded. However, the support obtained by these techniques is less than would be desired.

Document FR 2 781 816 describes an elastic woven knit with areas with different extendabilities, particularly due to different stitch sizes in which a flat loom can be used to make seamless knee bandages or bras comprising three areas with different restraints, for example a knitted area with strong restraint for the breast underwiring and the shoulder straps, a zone with medium restraint for the lower part of each cup, and an area with weak restraint for the top of each cup and the point between the cups.

Although this process is an effective means of making a seamless bra, it is found that the possibilities of adjusting the properties of the different areas remain fairly limited and it is impossible to obtain a bra offering an elegant and well-maintained silhouette.

The purpose of this invention is to improve existing flat knitting processes to obtain knitted articles that are comfortable and efficient in maintaining the silhouette.

The purpose of the invention is achieved by using a process for knitting textile articles on a flat knitting machine from a strip in which areas with different stitch sizes are knitted, characterized in that knitting with different stitch sizes in different areas is combined with the insertion of elastic threads in second areas distinct from the said different stitch size areas, but intersecting the said different stitch size areas. Due to this intersection of areas with different stitch sizes and areas with insertion of elastic threads (with different quantities or different nature depending on the area), a larger number of regions with different properties is obtained, thus making it possible to make textile articles satisfying a very precise specification.

The process according to the invention is advantageously a process for making lace on a flat knitting machine, particularly a Raschel Jacquard knitting machine or a multi-bar of the type marketed by the Karl Mayer Company to make “Textronic”® lace. These knitting machines use computerized management of knitting programs so that a large variety of products can be made.

The use of lace with multiple crossed areas conform with the invention is a means of combining a single piece flexible and lightweight textile material, with functional conditions necessary in the finished product for which it will be used.

The inserted elastic threads may be different in different inserted areas and take account of the needs of the finished product. The preferred threads are elastane threads, and particularly Lycra®, for example with a count of 470 dtex.

The areas in which different elastic threads are inserted may advantageously be rectangular areas parallel to the warp, while different knitting areas have a variety of contours depending precisely on the article and the required supporting functions, and thus go along the warp direction and along the weft direction.

Obviously, several successive articles along the warp direction, and also preferably several articles along the weft direction are knitted on the same flat strip. These articles arranged parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the strip may be separated by junction areas, particularly made in braiding.

Advantageously, several successive parallel segments are knitted each comprising several interlocking blanks.

Articles made in this way can be thermoformed later if necessary, particularly for bras.

For a bra, it is advantageous to make areas with different stitch sizes with an approximately triangular shape in the cup, strongly opaque, possibly surrounded by alternative borders that are more opaque and weaker, all on a background that is only very slightly opaque.

The bottom of the triangular areas crosses a transverse area with reinforced elastic threads.

It is advantageous to alternately knit triangular areas interlocking in one direction and then in the other direction, in the direction of the weft, so that more articles can be arranged along the same strip width.

The invention also relates to a textile article itself knitted obtained by the process according to the invention, in other words comprising an intersection of areas with different stitch sizes and areas with inserted elastic threads, in a seamless part. It is advantageously a bra. In one advantageous embodiment, it comprises two transverse areas with different elasticities intersecting areas with different stitch sizes forming an approximately triangular area in the cups region with high opaqueness, possibly marked by greater opaqueness at the borders. In one particular advantageous embodiment, the strongly opaque area in the cups area and the area with low opaqueness around the cups at the background are chosen such that, after the extension of the cups during moulding of the cups, the resulting opaqueness at the moulded cups is similar to the opaqueness of the adjacent unmoulded part. This prevents moulding of the cups from inducing an area that is too transparent.

Other advantages and characteristics will be made clear after reading the following description with reference to the attached drawings on which:

FIG. 1 shows a section of a flat strip containing blanks of several knitted bras across its width in accordance with the invention in crossed areas with different stitch sizes and different elastic threads.

FIG. 2 shows details of a segment of the section of the knitted strip in FIG. 1, with two bra blanks interlocking top to bottom.

FIG. 3 shows a bra made with one of the segment blanks in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing one preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a flat strip containing blanks of several boxer shorts.

FIG. 6 shows details of a segment of a knitted strip for making tummy girdles.

FIG. 1 shows a section of a flat strip 1 of lace knitted on a JACQUARD RASCHEL “Textronic”® type knitting machine (the direction of the warp being the horizontal direction in FIG. 1), and comprising several identical segments 2 across the width of the weft (for example 275 cm), each forming two bra blanks arranged top to bottom, for example each segment measuring 25 cm high. Dashes are used to show separations of the different areas resulting partly from zoning of knitting with different stitch sizes, and also by transverse zoning by the use of different quantities and different natures of elastic threads. In this case, “transverse” means with respect to the segment 1 itself and not with respect to the strip, transverse zoning on segments and blanks actually being made longitudinally on the knitting machine, in other words along the direction of the warp. The two zones intersect and thus increase the number of different areas.

Successive segments are separated by a transverse area 3, in this case made in zigzag stitch, so that segments can easily be separated by cutting. The transverse area 3 could be made with parabolic split in the same way as other lace.

Concerning transverse zoning by elastic threads, there are two types of transverse areas identified by A and B respectively. Areas A are areas with strong elastic tension or in which the material is very springy, due to the insertion of a large number of elastic threads, for example by insertion of a double elastane (2×Lycra® 470 dtex). These threads overlap on segments 2. Areas B are less springy areas, for example obtained by the insertion of a single elastane thread (1×Lycra® 470 dtex). These areas B form the median transverse part of the segments B.

Zoning by different stitch sizes comprises essentially three areas a to c with different stitch sizes and opaqueness, in order to reduce opaqueness, followed by an area a corresponding to an even denser knit, with high resistance in the weft breast underwiring. Areas a are very highly opaque areas that considerably reduce extendability. Areas B are very opaque areas to obtain low extendability. Areas c are much more transparent areas and enable better extendability than areas b. These areas are distributed as a function of specific areas in the bra blank.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the segment 2 comprises several top to bottom bra blanks identifiable essentially by the breast underwiring 4 and 4′ and triangular areas 5 and 5′ that will form the cups. For one of the blanks shown in the middle of the figure, the two areas 5 are central and close together and may immediately form the front panel of a bra (subsequently thermoformed); the adjacent blanks are only partially shown but are similar. The triangular areas 5 and 5′ are arranged top to bottom and occupy the entire height of the segment as well as possible, overlapping a common part of its height, the rest of the segment being occupied by a bottom part 6. Areas d₂ that may be formed on the two sides of the triangles 5,5′, are areas with a knit density comparable to the knit density in the area α of the chest underwiring, in order to hold the breast facing forwards (function normally performed by metal underwiring or rigid lining fabrics).

The breast underwiring 4, 4′ are entirely made of an area α of very dense and very elastic stitches, particularly because this is an area A with a double elastane thread.

The bottom 6 of the segment is made from a zone c stitch, fairly transparent, guaranteeing suppleness, elasticity and aesthetics of the bra. This bottom part is separated into two areas with different elasticities by the intersection of areas A and B, the more elastic bottom area being located at the bottom of the bra.

Each triangular area 5, 5′ is composed of a triangular area with the most opaque stitch type a, the bottom of which is close to the strap 4. The two sides of the triangular area a are surrounded by a sequence of borders made alternately from an area b stitch, slightly more opaque, and a very opaque area d stitch. These different stitch sizes on the sides of the cup act as underwires. Transverse areas A and B with different elasticities cross over the area of the cups.

Advantageously, the opaqueness of the region 5, 5′ of cups and of the adjacent background region 6 within the same transverse areas A, B, are different before the cups are moulded, and are chosen to be identical or similar after the cups are moulded. In this way, and despite the extension and deformation applied to the cups during moulding, approximately the same opaqueness for the same transparency can be kept in regions of the cup and background regions.

The combination of these various areas is a means of making a lace bra as shown in FIG. 3, after adding the brassiere straps and closing devices and thermoforming of the cups. This bra is very efficient in supporting the breasts, although it is very lightweight and is made in a single piece and has no underwires of stiffeners (apart from the shoulder straps).

Naturally, this is simply one example of one possible embodiment for one type of bra, and it is obvious that other combinations and intersections of areas could be made different from those illustrated.

In particular, we will now refer to FIG. 4 to describe a preferred example embodiment of bra blanks that is satisfactory although its construction is simpler than that described above. FIG. 4 shows a segment 2 contained in the two types of transverse areas A with high elastic tension, and B with low elastic tension. The different stitch type areas are firstly the breast underwiring 4 and 4′, with a denser mesh a and a greater lateral resistance, and secondly only two other dense knits, namely knit a and the light knit b. The dense knit a occupies areas 5 and 5′ that will form the cups; these areas 5, 5 are shown as thin cross-hatching within a contour 10; the shape of the areas 5, 5, is approximately the shape of two identical attached triangles with truncated ends, or two smaller triangles joined at one end with a base attached to a lower inverted trapezoidal part. The light knit b occupies the rest of the segment and particularly the bottom 6. FIG. 2 shows the traces 11 of each bra blank that will be formed in the segment. It can be seen that each blank thus drawn comprises two areas with different elasticities in the region of the cups with the dense stitch a, divided transversely into two areas with different elasticity. The area 4 with the light stitch b is naturally outside the area of the cups and the breast underwiring.

Naturally, many different types of finishings can be added to such a bra without going outside the scope of the invention, such as glued parts, elastomer coatings, particularly around the border, etc.

The principle of the invention can also be applied to making other elements such as “flat tummy” boxer shorts (FIG. 4 shows a manufacturing strip for interlocking blanks, similar to FIG. 1; the only difference is the shape of the areas) and “flat tummy” girdles (FIG. 5 shows details of the areas of a segment used to make a blank). 

1. A process for knitting bras on a flat knitting machine from a strip in which areas with different stitch sizes are knitted, comprising knitting with different stitch sizes in different areas (a, b, c, α) and inserting elastic threads in second areas (A, B), wherein said second areas (A, B) are distinct from and intersect said different stitch size areas (a, b, c, α).
 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said strip is lace.
 3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said flat knitting machine is a Raschel Jacquard knitting machine.
 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein said second areas (A, B) are knitted with different quantities and different natures of elastane threads.
 5. The process according to claim 1, wherein said second areas (A, B) are rectangular areas parallel to a warp direction of said strip.
 6. The process according to claim 1, wherein several successive bras are knitted along a warp direction of said strip.
 7. The process according to claim 6, wherein several successive parallel segments are knitted, each comprising several interlocking blanks.
 8. A knitted bra having a cups region and a border region, said bra comprising areas having different stitch sizes (a, b, c, α) and areas (A, B) having inserted elastic threads in a seamless part, wherein said areas intersect.
 9. The bra according to claim 9, comprising a transverse area A and a transverse area B, said area A having a different elasticity than said area B, said two areas (A, B) intersect areas (a, b, c, α) having different stitch sizes to form a triangular area with high opaqueness in the cups region, surrounded by greater opaqueness at the borders region.
 10. The bra according to claim 9, wherein the opaqueness of the cups region and the opaqueness of the borders region within particular transverse areas A and B are chosen such that the resulting opaqueness in both areas after the cups have been moulded is identical or similar. 